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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. club — for golf
  6. court — for sport
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — a hole
  10. club — a group
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. court — of a king
  13. capital — a city
  14. pit — in a race
  15. capital — money
  16. court — of law
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. present — a gift
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pound — a weight
  22. saw — the tool
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com